


Synthesis

by murderers_of_all_murderers



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Amity will be in chapter three, Bisexual Disaster Luz Noceda, Character Study, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Jewish Blights, Light Angst, Mixed Martial Arts, Realism versus Idealism, Slow Burn, Theater Kids Ed & Em, Useless Lesbian Amity Blight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:07:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26810389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murderers_of_all_murderers/pseuds/murderers_of_all_murderers
Summary: Luz doesn't want to move to a small town in the middle of her high school career. She leaves all her friends and the city behind for a boring little town in the middle of nowhere. But one fateful romp in the woods leads to her becoming a student of the town's greatest MMA fighter, and with training Luz believes she can finally become the hero of her dreams. Along the way she will make friends, discover mysteries, and perhaps find love.Alternatively:Luz becomes strong to protect others, Amity became strong to protect herself.(Lumity heavy)
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 14
Kudos: 114





	1. Hero

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.”

― **Lloyd Alexander**

Luz doesn’t understand why her mom had to move _here_ of all places. Why was it so important, that she had to snatch her out of the middle of highschool. 

She said, “Mija, San Francisco is too crowded, too much commute, too much stress. We need a break.” But Luz knew that wasn’t the only reason.

Now she was away from her few friends, away from her childhood city streets, to…. The middle of Midwestern nowhere. The summer she planned to spend going to Anime conventions and LARPing was now gone with the wind.

Bonesbourough originally sounded intriguing to Luz, legend has it that the town was built upon fossils of gargantuan creatures from eras past. This of course, peaked her interest. Perhaps she, Luz Noceda, would be the first to find the remains of a spider spitting griffin? Or a spine chilling demon?

However, her excitement faded when she arrived. The town did not have bones branching out of the ground as she envisioned, it was composed mostly of corn.

After a few hours of mulling around her boring new house with spotty internet connection, she decides to venture out and explore. Maybe the public library will have the latest Azura book? Maybe one of the general stores has candy?

“Mami, I need to run out to get some supplies for school...”

“But cariño, school doesn’t start for another two mon-”

“See you soon!” Luz rushes out, swiftly slamming the door behind her. 

_School...will they like me? It took too many years to make friends at my last school. AUGH. Why did I have to come to this boring old town? Why couldn’t I just have moved to some fantastical realm where magic and miracles exist? It’s past the time I would have gotten my Hogwarts letter… but maybe another door will open… and I’ll have another world to get lost in….lost….wait where am I?_

She looks up. The brick and cornstock of the town has morphed to a maple forest. She should be worried, wondering how she’ll get back home; but instead the beauty captures her imagination. The lofty trees splattering soft sun spots onto the ground and the cicadas singing in the distance seem to imbue the place with a certain aura of excitement.

_This is totally a place where Azura would practice magic._

Luz seizes the nearest stick, brandishing it as if it were a witch’s staff. Her mind's eye conjures a great beast to battle. It would have to be something terrifying...something that strikes fear into the hearts of many. 

“The ghost of boredom! My greatest enemy, at long last we meet… I will free the peoples of this town!”

Suddenly, a rustle pulls Luz out of her fantasy. She whirls around, searching for its source.

“The ghost of boredom? Are you actually there? I meant no offense…it just was a game I swear...”

A petite owl pops out of the bramble. One of its wings drags behind slack. It flaps desperately, trying to run and fly simultaneously. 

After a moment of shock, Luz recovers, “Oh no! You are hurt, I wonder if Bonesborough has an animal hospital….how would I get there. Come here little guy.”

She scoops the owl up before it has a chance to realize what’s happening, and it seems like the bird begins to calm.

Luz gives the small creature a chin scratch, and it responds with an affectionate “hoo”.

 _Huh that’s weird, it likes me, must be domestic?_

“Let’s get you all bandaged up and then put up…missing owl posters?”

Once again, the bramble crunches, this time a lot louder. The owl becomes agitated again, burrowing into the teenager’s hoodie pocket. 

Two hooded figures emerge from the woods. Dirty white masks cover their faces. One clutches a large stone. 

_Oh crammity, I do not have a good feeling about this._

“Little girl, have you seen an owl wander through here? He belongs to my boss?”

 _Very bad vibes, very bad vibes. Is this some cult? Did I manage to steal an owl that belongs to the KKK?_

She eyes the rock suspiciously. 

“I have yes, but he is injured, first you should both come with me to the local vet to fix his…..”

“That won’t be necessary,” the second figure cuts her off, “my master has his own way of fixing things.” 

“Um… I really think we should take this little guy to--”

The first masked man steps directly in front of her, beckoning for the owl with a large gloved hand.

“Give it now,” he says with a boom.

Luz is stricken. Fear invades every nook and cranny of her mind, but she knows the hidden men will hurt the owl and she can not stay by letting them.

“No,” she squeaks. Not as brave as she imagined it in her head.

_Curse my hero complex._

The second figure steps forward, easily pushing her to the ground. Luz cries out, curling around the little bird to shield him. 

_You’ve done it now Luz, you are going to die._

She closes her eyes, the owl screeches at the attacker.

“Come on you little bastard, Belos will be very pleased that we finally---ah - gurgh” He stops, words strangled mid-sentence. 

Luz looks once again. She opens her eyes just in time to see the guy who pushed her drop to the floor unconscious. 

A woman with raggedy grey hair stands above the body. Gold earrings and a matching necklace sparkle in the sun, contrasting with her dusty dark red dress. 

“You won’t get away with this this time! You can’t escape the mighty Belos!” The second figure charges the mysterious lady. Luz flinches, covering her eyes again. The newcomer is lithe, she surely will be crushed momentarily.

Instead, she sweeps her opponent off his feet in one fluid motion, seemingly throwing him to the ground with magic.

“Would you guys quit following me around? It’ll only bother me and hurt yourself.”

The pursuer rises, lunging in with a ring hook. But the woman is faster, landing a blow right to the face. He stumbles, and she follows up with a kick to the stomach that sends him flying. 

“Well, now that I’m done with them,” she turns to Luz, “where’s Owlbert?”

The bird pops out with a triumphant screech hooping on over to the newcomer, scrambling up to perch upon her shoulder. 

“Thanks for your help little one, hey…. I don’t recognize you” the woman in red eyes her suspiciously.

“I just...moved here?” Says Luz, confused and in awe. 

“Huh...okay…well, thanks for saving Owlbert, he would have been toast if not for you. What’s your name?”

“Luz Noceda,” she stands, offering her hand.

“I’m Eda, sometimes called the owl lady, see you around kid,” she begins walking off in the opposite direction.

“Wait! I have soooo many questions” the teen runs after her.

“Ugh, okay, you can ask if you just keep up…” The owl lady speeds up, gracefully moving over the forest floor.

“No pro--” Luz runs straight into a low hanging branch.

Eda looks back and snorts laughing. She flashes a grin, revealing a gold canine.

“What were you going to say?”

“First, who were those guys?” Luz recovers almost instantly, determined to get answers.

“Members of Belos’s Coven, the most powerful gang in this town.”

 _Gang?! Some safe small town this is. I never had run-ins with the gangs back home._

“What….wait, where are we?” The thick trunks and brambled floor parted ways for an open grassy area. A towering two-story house stands alone made of wood and stone. It looked extremely exotic compared with the quaint brick architecture of the town. A stained glass eye glares down at Luz.

_This day wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be._

“What is this place?” the dreamer is awestruck. 

“The Owl House, where I escape from the dreadful town, also the gangs...and the cops, and ex-boyfriends! Also, kid, do you always follow strange people home? It’s a wonder you haven’t gotten abducted by some wacko yet.” 

Luz begins to speak but stops, realizing Eda had a point. Why did she follow her? 

“Can you...teach me how you did what you did back there? Self defense I mean…?”

The older woman laughs, “Go back home kid, you don’t wanna be caught associating with the likes of me, plus it’s late.”

Something well up within Luz, a determination she did not know existed. 

“But you, you were like some fantasy protagonist back there. You swooped in, beat the bad guys, and saved me. I wish I was like that. I’ve always been too weak to stand up to fight off bullies, and not strong enough to be the hero I’ve wanted. But if you teach me, I could be like you back there. My mom has probably left for her nursing shift hours ago and now I’m alone….”

“Alright, slow down there, you don’t have to speak at a million miles per minute… I’ll teach you, I could use a student, but first… first you need to work for me.” 

Eda examines the lanky girl, “Hmm, you don’t look strong, but you got heart kid, I saw it when you protected Owlbert back there. I’m a fighter, the best fighter in this town, and I will help you be great, but damn is it a long, hard road. You will sweat, you will become bruised, and you will curse the day you agreed to be my pupil, but you know what, you will become tougher. Now kid, come on, we have work to do.” 

Eda stretched out her hand. 

Luz hesitates. This is all so crazy, what if this was a mistake and Eda is some psychopathic killer waiting to abduct her, what if her mother finds out about this and disowns her, what if she dies while training. But Luz Noceda never listened to common sense in her life, so why start now?

 _I’ll be able to protect people, just like Azura, and maybe coming here will be for something bigger._

She takes the mad woman’s hand, and off they go. 


	2. Falling and Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of training :)

“Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.”

―  **William Butler Yeats,** **The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats**

The door of the Owl House was tall and oaken, with rot iron garnishment swirling at its edges. In the center of the door, was a circular knocker in the face of an owl. Luz found it both humorous and grotesque at the same time.

Eda opens the door with a booming thud, and they step over the threshold 

“Welcome to my humble abode!”

“Woah,” the interior of the Owl house is castelesque. The high ceiling boasts a carving of a stylized owl that looks like it’s glowing in the low light. Burnt out candles stand on every surface in sight. The aroma of lavender incense flowed throughout the room. Weapons from all around the work bedeck the walls, gleaming swords, swaying nunchucks, and tons of other arms Luz doesn’t know the name for yet. 

_ Definitely not humble _

Owlbert flies over to a perch in the back of the living room, Eda follows.

“So, I warn you, I have an unconventional training style, before you learn any fighting, first, you got to work for m--,”

“Oh my god, is that a cat!” Luz cuts Eda off, running over to a black shape curled up on the coach. She scoops the little cat up. The cat initially hisses, but quickly resigns itself to being connodled with a frustrated  _ meow _ .

“Who’s a little kitty! Who’s a little kitty! Oh wow, he has a skull marking on his face, what a beautiful cat!”

“Yes, that’s King, named so because he thinks he is king of this house. Watch out, the little fellah has an attitude sometimes. But anyway, as I was saying, you need to do some stuff for me before I teach you. Starting with cleaning these things,” Eda gestures to a pile of miscellaneous items on the floor: toys, tchakies, electronics, jewelry, and...office supplies? 

“Is that...Contraband? Am I going to be an accessory in crime?!”

Eda snorts, “No, I sell used items, antiques, and curiosities I dig out of the trash in town.”

“Ah, that’s gross, but...legal?”

“While I fix up Owlbert, take this and make these all shiny and sellable” she hands Luz a cloth and cleaning solution, “it’ll be just like wax on and wax off…”

“Huh?”

“Wow kid, you are making me feel old, just get working while I find my first aid kit.”

The teen begins to scrub. The pile smells like well… trash. It almost makes Luz gag, but she persists. She removes the grime from a decaying teddy bear, scrapes the rust from an ancient Game Boy, and rinses off banana peel residue from a stapler, while the older woman patches up Owlbert.

_ I wonder if Azura ever had to clean up trash. If she did, she would do it glamorously with a sparkle in her eyes and dignified movements. I wonder if the people on Ao3 would like a garbage sifting Azura fic… _

Luz’s mind began to wander. She was no longer sifting through rubbish, but rather discovering great magical relics. The raggedy hat she finds must have to power to heal any injury or ailment, the pair of gardening gloves must be the legendary Green Thumb Gauntlets that can control plant growth, and the dead eight ball must really be an oracular sphere that may show her the future.

Physical pain pulls her from this fantasy though. After about half an hour, her arms begin to ache.

_ Curse my weak nerd arms. _

“How much longer do I have to do this Eda?”

“You need to finish the pile kid.”

“Agh! Can we take a break for you to teach me at least a little bit?” Luz attempts to use puppy dog eyes on Eda, it’s ineffective. 

“You remember the deal? Finish this and I’ll see what I can do.”

Thus Luz scrubs and scrubs for another hour. It’s boring, and uncomfortable, and she wants to stop, but she persists. She keeps reminiscing on the fight earlier in the day.

_ Many protagonists start from a humble beginning, and have to struggle to even start there journey. That’s me, I’m doing this so I can learn to become like her, to be able to adventure and beat the baddies and reign triumphant…  _

Finally, she finishes the last item (a pair of goofy glasses) and rises upon her now wobbly knees. 

“Eda, I’m done!” Luz wipes her now blackened hands on the rag.

“Good job, that means we are ready for our first lesson.” The fighter strides out the door, with her eager young pupil following.

“Will I be learning how to do a death punch?! A spin kick?! A secret technique to knock out my opponents with my finger-tips?!” Luz’s eyes glow.

“Nope, none of that. You will learn something far more important, perhaps the most important thing you’ll learn from me…”

The girl hangs on every word in anticipation.

“..how to fall… and how to get up.” 

“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to just learn how to not fall.”

“Trust me, you will fall. You will fall in fights and you will fall in life. You don’t want to break your spine or your spirit when you do. So, spread out impact, I’m going to teach you three techniques today: backfall, frontfall, and how to roll...”

***

When Luz arrives home after her day of training, she instantly flops on the bed. Everything is sore from her head to her toes, but she is happy. Eda was rough on her the first day, sweeping her legs out from under her multiple times to get “realistic practice” falling. But Luz was proud of herself, everytime she hit the floor, she rose. 

_ This is a trial and I am ready.  _

***

For the remaining months of summer, Luz spends six hours everyday at the Owl House. Without a reliable internet connection, she has nothing better to do. She loves Eda, and King, and training of course. 

Eda is impressed by her dedication and constantly pushes her. She teaches Luz techniques from all the martial arts she’s learned, hapkido, jujitsu, taekwondo, muay thai, krav maga, karate, capoeria, aikido, kung fu, and many more. Although she has a preoccupation with the flashy moves, Luz approaches all styles with unbound enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, unlike Eda has ever seen. The youth reminds the older woman of what she was like when she was a highschooler. Plus, she is grateful for the human company.

Luz explains her absences to her mom that she’s just grown a penchant for hiking. Camilla is skeptical of this, but she notices that recently her daughter has been fitter, more focused, and less abnormal, so she doesn’t push it. She supports whatever is making Luz happier and easier to manage. 

Luz becomes faster, stronger, and more skilled quickly.

_ Maybe I’m cut out to be a hero after all, I just have to keep rising to the challenge. _


	3. Inception

**“** **Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” Sun Tzu**

  
  


Luz leaps out of her mom’s car.

“Have a great day, mija! I hope you make friends, remember not to throw paint balls at any teachers or release spiders into school, and you will do great!

“Mom, this isn’t even my first day of classes, it’s just club fair, how much trouble can I get into?” Luz laughs.

“I know, I know, just be good!” She speeds off to work. 

The rising junior looks up at the brick highschool.

_ Hexside. Eda’s stories about this place were great. _

Her teacher told her how she had been expelled after endless shenanigans and pranks. Luz especially liked hearing about how young Eda had filled the hallway with full water cups so no one could walk. 

“Also, Luz, they have an MMA club that competes in various martial arts tournaments. Back in my day, I was star fighter. You should join and continue my legacy,” she told her.

“Oooo! I can make more friends, train with more people, this is going to be awesome!” Luz replied, whirling from pure excitement. 

In the present moment, Luz notices stands on the field. Little rows of white capped tents, with tables underneath. About fifty different club booths all try their hand at enticing new members. Some give out candies, some offer up buttons, some pass out stickers, some merely drone on while pointing to poster boards. 

_ Woah, so many choices, I’m going to go find the anime club. _

The new student pushes through clumps of her peers, spotting a large Totoro cut-out beckoning her in the distance. She signs up swiftly, engaging in a brief conversation about her love of AMVs before moving on to the next booth. She stealthily sneaks a cupcake away from the baking club, puts her name down for Book Club, and then...comes face to face with the most magnificent flower ever.

“I love how pink it is!” Luz exclaims without thinking.

“Beautiful aren’t they? Those are orchids! Very hard to grow, very hard to keep alive, but very worth it.” The voice comes from a girl behind gigantic circular spectacles. The gardening club officer is short and stout, giving Luz an appreciative smile.

“Do you guys have poppies here? I had a whole field near me back home...and I kind of miss them?” 

“Hmm, unfortunately it gets too cold here for poppies. Where’s home? I haven’t seen you around here, stranger.” 

“California, not cold at all, I have a feeling I’m going to DIE in Winter time.” Luz flails her hands around dramatically.

The gardener girl chuckles. “I’m Willow, an 11th grader, by the way, what’s your name?”

“Luz, Luz Noceda, I am starting my junior year too! Little nervous at the level of homework, I’ve heard this is the worst year of highschool. Oh, do you know if bio will be hard this year, I have Professor...”

Their two personalities click instantly, and they avidly converse. Willow gets relieved of her booth shift by another gardening officer, and shows Luz around the fair. 

“Let’s just grab my friend Gus, and then I’ll show you the greatest club at Hexside.”   
  
“Ooo more friend! Ooo more club!” Luz grabs candy from a booth they walk past.

They come to a large table, cloaked in a blue cloth. Playing cards are spread out, a wands lay arranged in a line, a toppled top hat lies at the foot of the table. A small boy, who looks like a middle schooler, shuffles a deck of cards. 

“Hi Gus,” Willow waves.

“Hiya, who’s our new friend?” He looks puzzled.

“This is Luz, she’s new, and really funny!” 

“Hi Luz, do you wanna see a card trick!” 

“Uhh…”

“Pick a card, any card.” 

“Gus, we don’t have time for this now...We have to go to the  _ next club,”  _ Willow winks.

“Oh, the next club, that it’s the first rule not to mention….” Gus gives an awkward wink back.   
  
“Fight Club?!” Luz exclaims.

“Well, technically it’s the Martial Arts club, and we can talk freely about it, we are just being silly. Meetings are super fun but some of the people… well, you’ll see.”

They lead her over the field, toward the back of the school. They arrive at an inconspicuous door spray painted to blend into the red brick. 

_ Woah, it’s like a secret hideout, how cool is that! _

Willow throws the door open, and the trio walks inside.

Blue mats cover the entire floor of the training room, with fluorescent lights making them shine. Scattered students practice kicks and punches, while an old man sits asleep on the chair.

They remove their shoes before going any further.

“Ah, the smell of sweat and blood!” Luz dramatically sighs.

“But there isn’t any blo--” Gus attempts to correct her.

“Wait, who’s the geezer in the corner?”

“Principle Bump, he supposedly advises our club, but all he ever does is sit there and doze off…” Willow explains.

“Oh look who it is, wimpy Willow,” a new girl, with cruel blue eyes and a high pony tail, approaches them.

“Oh hi Bosc--ah!” Boscha sweeps Willow’s legs before she even has time to react, and she laughs. 

Luz is enraged, “Hey, why did you do that! It wasn’t even a fair fight, hasn’t anyone told you it’s cowardly to attack an unsuspecting opponent?”

“New girl... go back to Mexico.”

Luz seethes. “You are racist and wrong, my mom is from the Domician Rep--”

“Cool it, Boscha, xenophobia isn’t classy at all,” a new girl strides up. She has dyed green hair with brown roots peeking from the top of her head, eyes such a brown that they look amber to Luz, and skin so pale it looks as if she hasn’t ever stepped into sunlight.

_ Wow, she looks so confident, under other circumstances…..I would want to be her friend. _

“Unprovoked violence isn’t classy either,” Luz helping Willow up. 

“I mean, this is, well, a club focusing on fighting…” the green haired girl says.

“It’s cowardly to attack an unprepared opponent,” Luz fires back.

“It’s not called being ‘cowardly,’ it’s called being a winner. Looking at who you’ve chosen to associate with, it seems you wouldn’t know much about that.” Snark creeps into her voice.

Luz clenches her fists. 

_ This is my chance, to stand up for what’s right, for what’s good. _

_ “ _ I’ll show you just how much I know about winning…. I challenge you… to a duel!” Luz looks into surprised eyes. The room quiets as people cease training. 

The shock at being challenged morphs into mirth, and Luz’s opponent laughs.

“Uh… Luz,” Willow suddenly pulls her aside. “That’s Amity Blight, she’s trained by the top fighter in this town…”

“Amity shamity, my teacher is the best in town. I know this girl’s type, she’s obsessed with status and self-centered… I can use that against her…”

“Do you even know how to fight?” Gus asks.

“Yes, I train quite hard. Now, where was I.” She whirls back to Amity, who still has an intense air of confidence. “What are the rules for this duel? I’ll let you choose the conditions.” 

“3 rounds. Both shoulders on the ground means you lose the round. Willow can referee. Standard MMA rules, no eye shots, pulling hair….”

“I know I know, all I have to do is make you fall…” 

“I don’t fall, new girl.”

“Name is Luz.”

“I don’t care. Let’s just get this started so I can move on with my day.” A crowd has gathered around them, watching the spectacle unfold.

“Okay… ready guys….” Willow sweats behind her spectacles, worried for her new friend, “let’s start in 1….2….3….”

As soon as the three leaves the ref’s mouth, Amity strikes with an open hand. Luz ducks, side stepping, the attack missing the top of her head by mere inches. Immediately, she dodges a knee that would have gone straight into her face. 

Amity strikes and pursues, while Luz dodges and evades. The move to a beat of a deadly rhythm, their pride pushing them to go faster and faster.

_ Bob and weave, bob and weave. Her style seems like a mix of Krav Maga and Muay Thai. Dios mio, she’s fast, but I’m fast too...maybe I can wear her out. _

Across the mat they dance, each attempting to get the upper hand, each trying to be three moves ahead of the other. Amity’s smirk has been washed away with sweat.

“See! I’m putting up more of a challe--” Luz’s back thumps the mat, thrown by her opponent.

“Amity wins round one,” Willow announces, voice still laced with anxiety. 

The two fighters return to starting position, circling each other. Amity is now more cautious, calculating. 

Luz goes in for her first attack of the game, a quick jab that lands right in her opponents face. Unfortunately, Amity counters with a strong right hook, knocking her adversary off balance.

_ Ouch! That hur--uh-oh… _

The Blight takes her opportunity, she trips the dazed teen, pushing her to the ground and securing the win.

“Amity wins two out of three rounds meanin-”

“Wait, let’s do one more, as a... learning experience for new students.” The victor’s confident smile has returned fully.

Luz rises, rubbing the cheek that was injured. 

And the dance resumes. Both are reserved, slower, more tired, merely moving in a circle.

Luz wants redemption, she wants to win this at least. She wants to properly defend her friends, show Amity she was in wrong, and emerge triumphant.

_ Now, I’m the underdog here, I need to do something risky, something spectacular, something no one will believe would work...and I need to do it now. _

Luz cartwheels, extending her leg into Amity’s jaw before she lands. Her opponent falls backwards, thonking against the mat. 

The entire room stands still. Luz Noceda has made Amity Blight fall. 

Luz offers her hand, but Little Miss Perfect swats it away, standing with a face red from rage.

_ Wow...she’s like a tomato. _

“What was that?!”

“Just a fancy thing I’ve been working o--”

“That would have never worked on the street, in a real fight!”

“We aren’t on the street…” Luz looks puzzled at this burst of anger.

“That move was ridiculous, and doesn’t belong i--”

“Hold up, it wasn’t ridiculous, it’s called being a winner.” 

_ I sure showed her. _

“Woo! That was awesome! Go Luz!” Gus shouts from the side of the mat, next to a gleaming Willow. 

Amity storms off the mat in anger and embarrassment. 

“New girl, this isn’t over.” 

“Good! That was fun, let’s do it again sometime,” she waves at the bully.

_ I know she was mean to Willow, mean to me. But that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, I wonder if she can be changed. A hero saves everyone after all or at least tries. In the meantime, I’ll just kill her with kindness. _

The room resumes its training, a quiet Boscha in the corner seething at the violation of her familiar hierarchy.


	4. Respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload! A little bit of angst and less fighting in this chapter.

**“Excellence is not an act but a habit” - Will Durant (misattributed to Aristotle)**

Amity Blight is perpetually exhausted. Between her 4 APs, Student Council Meetings every Monday, Mixed Martial Arts Club every Tuesday and Thursday after school, and nightly training sessions with Lilith, she barely has time to breathe. 

But Friday afternoons, Friday afternoons are all her’s. She runs 5 o’clock story time. Every week, she gets to de-stress by bringing life to stories. She brought timeless tales of friendship, adventure, creativity, individuality, cooperation, and more to life, enchanting an audience of small children in the process.

It is a lovely escape. Of course, she releases aggression through fighting. 

_ Combat is the most real experience, real blood pumping through your veins, real water running down your face, real pain when you hit the mat, real bruises when an insolent girl jump kicks you in the jaw…. _

But storytime is the opposite, it’s a realm of fantasy. A world without status, hierarchy, parental expectations. There is no blood, there is no sweat, there is no pain. There are only colorful pastel drawings that bring to life cute little moralistic characters.

Her parents never let her come to storytime as a kid, but they let her come now. 

“Volunteering will look good on college apps,” was why her mother avidly supported her library goings.

All this is why rage consumes her when she spots one Luz Noceda as the kids file out after giggling at a story about a funny mouse. The short haired girl stands at the storytime corner, looking at Amity in awe.

“What are  _ you  _ doing here,” Amity demands.

“Uh...I’m the new recruit...I decided to volunteer after seeing a poster on the bulletin board because I love reading and to read aloud to people. They told me to come to you for protocol!” 

_ She does not have the right to do this. This girl, my G*d the nerve, to invade MY peaceful spot, MY sanctuary. _

But still, she keeps up her cold poker face.

“Literally, two weeks ago you kicked me in the face. What makes you think I’m going to take time out of my busy da--”

“MITTENS, WE’RE HOME” A mischievous voice booms throughout the library, obnoxiously loud.

_ Oh no, how did they know where to find me… _

Two twins stand at the entrance to the children’s section, grinning with Dionysian delight, like nymphs delighted with chaos. 

Amity breathes, pushing down her embarrassment and anger as her face reddens. The twins are her opposite in every way, so undisciplined and annoying.

“Edric, Emira, you need to be quiet in the library. Please don’t do anything weird…”

Em laughs, “Mittens, we have no malicious intentions, just wanna say hi to our favorite baby sister. Who’s your new friend?”

“Hi! I’m Luz, Luz Noceda, just moved her last summer. Who are you guys?” the dolt introduces herself.

“I’m Ed and she’s Em,” the Blight twins bow in sync. 

“We are actors, college students, and agents of disorder, at your service” Em follows up with.

“Woah… actors huh…. What productions have you been in?” Luz’s eyes are full of admiration. 

“We specialize in musical theatre so... Les Mirabiles, Bring It On, Cats --don’t ask--, and Heathers…”

“Woah! I saw Heathers back in San Francisco…”

“Wow, you are from SF? Ed and I live in New York now, in dorms of course, and it’s so much better than this dump of a town….how are you finding….” Amity slinks away from the bubbly trio. 

_ I am above their stupid chatter. Now I have to train the newbie AND deal with my older siblings, UGH. _

She began to shelf books, her other much less enjoyable job at the library. Although, this too gave her a sense of satisfaction. The books were orderly, perfect. She got to place each one in their rightful place, and they would not move.

The Dewey Decibel system guides her as she reorders and restores shaken shelves. For an hour she labores at this menial task, and her mind wanders.

_ This new girl is awful, she kicks my face now ends up here. Is she stalking me? Her attitude gets under my nerves, she challenged my authority, and now still tries to act all friendly? Now butters up my siblings? Is she playing some manipulative game or is she really that stupid, that idealistic…. _

Amity settled on a certain conception.

_ Luz is a child, just like the ones I read too, but she should have grown up long ago. She should have worked on getting ready for responsibility and challenge instead of practicing ridiculous cartwheels. _

“Oh my god Luz, that’s fantastic, where did you learn how to make that?” Her brother still talks far too loud for the library. 

Amity goes to investigate, turning a corner, and seeing a dragon made from books. 

Luz dances around it, flailing and twirling, performing for the laughing twins. She pretends to fight the dragon, with the most ridiculous moves Amity has ever seen. 

_ She is so off balance, I could go over there and sweep her off her feet and get my revenge right now. _

But of course, she does not. 

“Really? In the library! It takes hours to shelf those books, and you have the audacity to use them for playing pretend? You all can leave now.” Amity seethes.

“Relax, little miss perfect, it’s just for fun--” Emira starts.

“Your fun you mean. Well, I always have to clean up your fun.” She storms away from giggling twins and a horrified Luz, her nails digging into palms. She will clean up the dragon, but later, first she needs to calm down, to regain composure.

She storms through non-fiction, and cook books, and philosophy, directionless. 

_ Sartre was right, hell is other people. Why do they intentionally bother me like this, why do they make mother mad by skipping class, why do they play their pranks on me? I need to go to my desk, and read some Azura, or perhaps journal, I bet I could write a great entry on how peeved I am. _

Amity strides toward her secret hide out. She customized the space a lot time ago, outfitting it with a large desk, fairy lights, and a punching dummy. She still can’t believe that a. The library had a hidden roof, and b. a librarian, Gary, let her claim it. Of course, she was their best volunteer, but she was not used to such kindness.

But then, Amity arrives at the door, and see it cracked. Belligerent voices flow out of the room.

“Come on, you see how she treats people… let us have it!”

“No… that’s so cruel to expose someone’s secrets like that. Anyone’s.”

“She’s so proud, let’s knock her down a few notches. We won’t take all of her diary pages, just a few to post around school.”

Blood rushes once more to Amity’s face. She would be so dead if some of those secrets got out.

_ Crap crap crap, I can’t let that happen. No no no… I need to... _

“No, I won’t allow it.” Amity realizes that’s Luz’s voice defending her.

The new girl continues, “I know she needs to be humbled, but stealing her innermost thoughts and revealing them to the school is not the way to do that. We can’t cheat her like this.”

Em and Ed laugh. 

“Naivete at it’s finest,” Edric giggles.

Amity swings the bookcase door wide open with a thump. She stands, glaring at the twins trying to yank her diary from Luz’s hands, too flustered to get out a word. 

They all freeze. 

“Mittens, we can exp--”

In a split second, Amity leaps forward, front kicking the diary to the back wall, away from the twins.

“Oh wow, overdramatic much A--” Emira starts.

“Get. Out. I heard it all, you came back to atone on Monday didn’t you? Don’t start up any new regrets, I thought you were better than this, more mature.”

“But--”

“Leave, I’ll accept your apology later...maybe”

The twins trail out like dogs with their tails between their legs. 

Amity turns to Luz, who looks a bit guilty.

“Hey...I think I misjudged you. I thought you were a bully, who just came here to be another demon or disaster, and kick me in the face. But… you stood up for me… thanks.”

Luz beams, “Of course I stood up for you. It’s super wrong to do that to someone, even your siblings. Oh! I also saw book 4 of Azura on your desk….I love love love that book series, it I must have read it about 100 times and I even have the DS game!” 

A hint of a smile sneaks its way onto Amity’s face, “Yes, Azura is awesome, I just love Hecate’s redemption arc, I really resonate with it for whatever reason.”

“Well...I actually have book 5, which… if you like… you could borrow sometime?”

“Hmmm… I might take you up on that after I’m done with book four…”

_ What does this girl want? What is she playing at? _

“Okay! Oh um, I’m sorry for the whole ordeal. I got a bit caught up in wanting to impress your siblings because they just seemed so cool… I didn’t even think that someone would have to clean up the dragon, maybe I can help you with that right now?” 

Amity sees something rare in Luz’s eyes: genuine remorse. 

_ Maybe she isn’t a child after all, maybe there is something more to this ruthless idealism. _

“Sounds good, let’s go clean up the dragon guts.”

Luz giggles. In the low light colored light, her eyes seem to glow with molten gold and little dimples appear at the corners of her mouth. After noticing this, Amity thinks that she may be kind of pretty… 

_ No I don’t, she just looks like any other girl.  _

“Woo hoo dragon guts. Speaking of dragons, what do you think about the battle scene when Azura faces off against the great serpent of chaos…”

“I really liked it…”

“What about it?”

_ Because I wish chaos was something I could fight and kill. _

“I think the action, it reminds me of real life fights.”

***

The dinner table at the Blight family manor is long, black and pristine. A white table cloth with frills blankets the dyed wood. Each dinner means fine porcelain, many tiny forks, and mother Blight scolding someone for their imperfect posture.

Tonight Amity’s stomach rumbles. Roshushana, the day of atonement, was always her least favorite holiday.

“Before we feast, you children must say what they’ve repented for today.” Alador, her father commands in a smooth voice.

“I repented for all the times I’ve pranked Amity,” Emira starts, looking uncharacteristically solemn.

“Me too, just all the times we weren’t the best siblings,” Edric finishes. 

_ That’s an easy way out. _

“Amity?” Her mother asks, looking on from the head of the table.

She breathes in deep, “I repent for the quiz I got a 93 on, the fact I gave up on pushups before I finished yesterday with Lillith, and for failing to take down Boscha once last week…”

Miss Blight smiles, pleased with this answer. “It’s time to eat, bon appetite.”

They dig into their luxurious dinner of potatoes, veggies, and brisket.

_ Above all, I repent for all the girls which I’ve looked at in that way, the way I shouldn’t. Please forgive me G*d. _

She sits up straight, and keeps her elbows off the table, and uses the right fork for the right purpose, but deep down she knows her excellence is all an act.


	5. Concentration

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”  
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

Luz loves fall. She loves the brisk air, all the baked pumpkin treats, and the flamboyant leaves. 

“When winter comes, it will be your first year with snow won’t it?” Gus says, noticing how his friend seems enthralled by the change of seasons. 

“It will actually be my first time in snow ever! I can’t wait to make snow griffins, and igloo castles, and….GAWH I’m so excited! Even now just seeing the trees actually morph into beautiful yellows and reds feels almost magical, it’s like…. like....a promise of new beginnings.”

Willow responds, “Technically, it’s just trees shedding their leaves to get ready for the reduction of light that occurs in winter. I can never grow new plants in this time of year...”

“But….it’s just…. so gorgeous.” She steps on one, as they walk along the path to the martial arts room. The brown leaf crumbles with a satisfying crunch, and she leaps to another one. Willow and Gus gaze on at her antics, sufficiently amused.

After coming in through the metal door, they slip off their shoes and begin to warm up. Luz is especially energetic because of her good mood today. She speeds through a bunch of jumping jacks and tries to convince her friends to spar with her.

But a booming voice pipes up: “Today, we will be working on kicks. I’ve noticed during practices, your form, all of yours, has gotten sloppy, you look like you’re kicking dwarves! Get out the bags, get with a partner. You each will do one hundred front kicks. Fifty on each side. Make your partner move!”

Amity’s voice has a little bit of an acidic bite to it, but Luz remembers how vulnerable she was in the library, how quick she changed her demeanor, how quick she was to learn and grow. 

_ Her redemption arc is going well! _

Luz has been happy with her progress over the last month. They aren’t quite friends, but they wave to each other in between classes, occasionally have causal conversations in the classes they share, and work together well at the library.

“Luz, what are you doing? Everyone else has already partnered up.” Amity shocks her by appearing at her side and dispelling her train of thought. 

“Uh...oops, just got lost in thought I guess. Wanna practice together?” 

Amity rolls her eyes, “Yes, but next time be more alert.”

As she puts her hair up in a hodge-podge ponytail, the club officer throws the red punching bag at Luz. She straps it unto her forearm like a shield.

“Get ready new girl” Amity jumps into a stance.

“Hey, I’m not new anym--” Luz gets knocked off her feet at the moment of impact, stumbling back onto the mat.

“I wasn’t read--”

“Be faster, focus on your feet instead of my words.”

The attacker switches her stance, the punching bag gets up and braces herself for impact.

Luz prepared herself better for the second kick, but still gets pushed back a couple of inches. Amity smiles playfully.

_ How did I let that happen!? Next time I need to push my heels down even harder... _

“Let’s alternate after every two, your turn.”

They exchange the bag.

Luz breathes deeply, gearing up for the hardest kick of her life. She exhales, snapping out her leg and pulling it back quickly, but to no avail. Her partner has not budged.

The next kick ends with the same result.

After a few more rounds of being pushed without returning the favor, Luz becomes disheartened.

_ I don’t want her to think I’m a bad fighter, or that I’m lazy or something. Ugh, this is why I prefer dodging. _

“I think your problem is lack of focus…”

“You already said that earlier...next time I will--”

“No, I mean with your foot. Work on striking a specific spot and put less emphasis on your speed. Point your foot, while pulling back your toes. That way, you can hit with the ball of the foot.” 

Luz senses no malice in Amity’s gaze. Unlike their first meeting, her eyes hold no anger, no sign of being threatened. Instead, she looks at Luz as a blacksmith would look at raw ore, as something with raw potential to be wrought out.

_ Wow, she is actually trying to help me.  _

“Okay! Let’s try this again…” 

Luz stares with a laser-beam like gaze into the center of the bag. This time, she puts all of her force into that one point in space-time. 

Then, Luz feels the bag move back as Amity staggers.

After a moment of surprise, the green-haired girl chuckles.

_ I’m surprised she’s not mad, she would have been at the beginning.  _

When practice ends, Luz listens to Gus complaining about his short legs as she ties her shoes. Her good mood still persists, but she quietly listens to Gus instead of releasing the flood of thoughts running through her head. 

Just before she follows Willow and Gus out over the threshold, someone taps her shoulder. 

“Hey, I don’t suppose you’d still let me borrow Azura Book 5, would you? I think I have time to binge read it this weekend?” Amity smiles.

“Oh yes of course! You will love it, there’s a showdown with a goblin horde, and a shapeshifting demon, and well...no spoilers but--” 

“Luz come on! We are waiting for you!” Gus shouts from outside.

Amity waves goodbye silently, Luz returns the gesture as she leaves.

_ She’ll make a great friend. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a month. I'm not the biggest fan of my writing in this chapter, but oh well. We have more exciting bits coming up in future chapters.
> 
> Also, if anyone has strong thoughts on whether I should continue putting quotes at the beginning of each chapter or not, let me know! I hope everyone reading this has a lovely Thanksgiving!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed!


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